1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to a method of supporting plants. More particularly, this invention relates to a method holding plants to support stakes.
2. State of the Art
Fruit bearing plants are often staked to prevent the plants, when heavy with fruit, from breaking or falling over toward the ground. If the plants break, the fruit will not properly develop. If the plants fall over, the fruit will touch the ground and will rot. In addition, other types of plants are staked to assist the plants in growing vertically or in another desired direction.
In order to stake a plant, a plant stake is inserted into the soil adjacent the plant and a tie is used to couple the plant to the stake. Typically, a plant tie is a piece of string or a common twist tie (a piece of wire sandwiched between thin pieces of plastic or paper). Tying a plant to a stake with one or more ties is generally a cumbersome process. It is difficult to hold the stem of the plant (which has a tendency to fall away from the stake) against the stake while the plant tie is secured around the stem and the stake. At times, especially when using a string to tie a plant to a stake, the two hands of the gardener can seem inadequate to hold the plant stem adjacent the stake while securing the tie thereabout. Also, the relatively small width of a string or twist tie when tightly tied or twisted against the plant stem can cause injury to the plant. Furthermore, when using only a single tie along the stem of a plant, it will be appreciated that the string or twist tie only contacts the stem at a single location. Therefore, the plant is not stably held against the stake and may droop above the location of the tie or bow below the location of the tie. This is especially common with weak-stemmed plants such as tomato plants. Moreover, as the plant grows, it is often necessary to provide plant ties along the stem at a different location; the existing plant ties must be removed and discarded (creating waste), and the entire process of tying the plant to the stake must be repeated. In addition, conventional plant ties are unsightly and detract from the appearance of the garden or plant pot in which they are used.